Winnipeg missionaries return to Haiti to help Haitians in the midst of turmoil.

Marie Pudwill is a manager in a group home in Winnipeg which cares for disabled adults. She and her husband recently served in her home country to care for Haitians.

Pudwill, originally from Haiti, is saddened by the turmoil resulting from Hurrican Dorian and political unrest. "When I was a girl growing up in Haiti, it was so peaceful and so beautiful, they used to call Haiti the 'Pearl of the Island,'" Pudwill says.

However, she says there is now a new name for Haiti: 'The Trash Island.'

The name, 'Trash Island' comes from the fact that whenever rebels want something to be done they use trash to block the streets and buildings as leverage for their demands.

"Whenever there is a protest . . . say if they want the school to be closed, they just dump trash in front of the school. It happens all the time now."

The missionary believes much of this is a result of "a spiritual battle, if you do not have God in your life you cannot see beauty." Pudwill believes it is difficult for Haitians due to the cultural roots in Voodoo, which incorporates traditional African magical and religious rites including sorcery and spirit possession. She believes this blinds them to Godly faith and truth.

Pudwill still has hope for her home nation. She says, "God makes beauty out of ashes, so for myself, I believe God can do a revival in Haiti."

This past October, Pudwill and her husband were able to go back to Haiti to help with the clean up from the multiple natural disasters and protests, fix wells, and provide healthcare. 

"In the middle of the turmoil, God was with us," says Pudwill explaining that when they went out into the community they were always safe. The missionaries did run into some roadblocks while in Haiti due to the political unrest. Their travel was hindered due to the rising gas prices. At times it cost $27 USD for two gallons of gas. However, that is the least of the couple's worries.

Every day there are protests in the streets that continue to escalate, creating an unsafe environment, "It is sad to see the barbaric acts, we are killing each other, and it is the poor who are suffering now," Pudwill says.

The poor are suffering as protests are blocking people from buying and selling food as the marketplaces have become unsafe.

Pudwill asks that you pray that God will help people see the beauty so they may one day be 'The Pearl of the Island' once again.